The Effect of Perceived Organizational Support during COVID-19 on Innovative Workforce Behavior. The Role of Workforce Reskilling and Top Management Support

Abstract

The coronavirus outbreak is affecting hundreds of millions of people around the world. Decision makers face tremendous hurdles with people confined to their homes and economies effectively shutting down. The pandemic has caused changes in working schedules and overall worker prosperity. As a result, organizational support has become critical in assisting employees in adjusting to the “new normal” and contributing to the transition process. Human resource management plays an important role in improving employees' quality of life and reducing the health risks associated with their jobs. Constant training during the pandemic became necessary to accomplish adequate reskilling of staff. Although the extent research on the relationship between perceived organizational support and innovative workforce behavior is extensive, there is a gap in the literature in assessing this relationship while taking into consideration the role of workforce reskilling and top management support. The aim of this thesis is to develop and test a holistic conceptual model that depicts the relationships among workforce reskilling, top management support, organizational support during COVID-19, and innovative workforce behavior. In particular, the role of workforce reskilling plays in explaining the relationship between organizational support during COVID-19 and innovative workforce behavior, and the role top management support plays in enhancing this relationship are investigated. The conceptual model is empirically tested using an online questionnaire sent to employees working in Lebanon and the region. The findings provided evidence supporting the proposed relationships.